Monday, December 08, 2008

Project 30: Sealife & Stuff

Through the Scope

Task 25/30: Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Complete: November 15, 2008

I fear tourists. But I cannot believe my fear of crowds and such available "I'll just go another time" reasoning has kept me away from the aquarium for this long. A few weeks ago, my favorite munchkins gave me my initial tour of a place that one of them was sharing he has been to "799 times." I was quite amazed how full of an afternoon that we had, starting out midday. Monterey is really such a short drive, and in no time, we were parked and inside the building at the end of Cannery Row. The enthusiasm held by the boys was inspirational and I have noted since then that I'd love to be that excited about something again. Even in my adult sensibilities, I was definitely in a world of wonder where I found myself able to just gaze off and get lost. I miss my own personal aquarium, but I have always enjoyed the relaxing properties of circling fish and waving water. I found such a great appreciation for all of the wonderful wildlife that I got to partake in over the afternoon, as the boys dragged me from one room to the other. I bet I could spend an entire afternoon just sitting and watching the fish swim in those giant tanks. The otters were cool as always, but I found that there were other species that entertained me more. The octopus was active, and the birds were just beautiful. They are adding a seahorse exhibit and I can tell you that I will not live in Santa Cruz another 12 years before I go back to see that wonderful wonder. We ended our afternoon with a delicious meal where I was happy to splurge myself over good company and silly laughs to call this MISSION COMPLETE.

Now on to the pictures...

Jellyfish:
Jellyfish Monterey Bay Aquarium

Jellyfish Monterey Bay Aquarium

Jellyfish Monterey Bay Aquarium

Kelp Forest:
Kelp Forest Monterey Bay Aquarium

Other Neat Creatures:
Snake Monterey Bay Aquarium

Frog Monterey Bay Aquarium

Starfish

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Whole Set

No comments: